Book binding method and machine therefor

ABSTRACT

A swingable saddle supplies signatures to be bound, and a needle plate has at least one sewing needle and at least one hooked needle laterally spaced therefrom, the needle plate being mounted in two arms which can move it up and down between a position in which the needles enter into the signature and another in which they are withdrawn therefrom. The needle plate can also be moved transversely to this up and down movement, being urged to one side by biasing means, and can be moved in a direction opposite to the urging of the biasing means by a cam and cam follower arrangement. A method of operating this machine is also disclosed.

Bosshard Jan. 1, 1974 BOOK BINDING METHOD AND MACHINE THEREFOR Inventor: Fritz Bosshard, Zur Friedou CH-825 l, Kaltenbach, Switzerland Filed: Dec. 113, 1971 Appl. No.: 207,509

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 14, 1970 Switzerland 18466/70 52 us. C1. 112/21 [51] Int. Cl B42b 1/02 [58] Field of Search 112/21, 22; 11/1 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,266,793 5/1918 Griesinger 112/21 1,088,348 2/1914 Kuglcr 112/21 FORElGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 611,458 3/1935 Germany 112/21 Primary ExaminerGeo. V. Larkin AttorneyMichael S. Striker [57] ABSTRACT A swingable saddle supplies signatures to be bound, and a needle plate has at least one sewing needle and at least one hooked needle laterally spaced therefrom, the needle plate being mounted in two arms which can move it up and down between a position in which the needles enter into the signature and another in which they are withdrawn therefrom. The needle plate can also be moved transversely to this up and down movement, being urged to one side by biasing means, and can be moved in a direction opposite to the urging of the biasing means by a cam and cam follower arrangement. A method of operating this machine is also disclosed.

7 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures PATENTED 1 4 SHEET 2 [IF 4 PATENTEDJAN H 1 3.782.306

SHEET 0F 4 Fig. 4

BOOK BINDING METHOD AND MACHINE THEREFOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the threadbinding of book blocks composed of a plurality of signatures. More particularly the invention relates to a method of such thread binding and to an apparatus therefor.

The art of thread-binding blocks composed of a plurality of signatures is well developed. The term signature here refers to a stack of superimposed bi-folded sheets, with several such signatures being united to form a block. Rather than discuss in detail how the prior art deals with such signatures for thread-binding purposes, and rather than discuss in detail the machines known for this purpose, reference is made to the handbook entitled "Buchbindereirnaschinen, by Professor B.M. Mordowin, issued by VEB Verlag Technik, Berlin, Germany, which is volume I of a series entitled Berechnung und Konstruktionen Polygraphischer Maschinen.

Generally speaking it need only be pointed out that in the thread-binding operation, that is where the individual sheets of paper which are superimposed and then folded once at their center line to obtain the signature, are bound together by means of a thread, it is necessary to provide at least one sewing needle, a gripper for the thread, a hooked needle and a hole-making needle. It is known from the art to utilize a hooked needle having a straight hook and, in order to form a loop of the thread after the same has first been pushed through the signature at the fold thereof and has subsequently been withdrawn in opposite direction, the straighthook needle is turned through 180 between successive stitches. Hooked needles with straight hooks are advantageous for such applications because they can be produced inexpensively in a good quality. On the other hand, if the operation of a machine utilizing this priorart approach is semior fully automatic, the hooked needles must be mounted on the needle plate of the apparatus in a turntable manner to permit their turning through 180, and means must be provided which make possible such a turning movement of the needles about their longitudinal axes. This, then, is a disadvantage of this prior art approach.

Another approach suggested in the prior art is to use a hooked needle with a spirally shaped hook in which the thread loop, which is formed when the thread is withdrawn from the signature after first having been inserted, is twisted through 180 when moving axially of the needle. However, while this does not require any means for turning the needle about its longitudinal axis, the production of good-quality hooked needles having a spirally configurated hook is expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art while retaining its advantages.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved thread-binding method which is possessed of the aforementioned advantages but not of the aforementioned disadvantages.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for carrying out the novel method.

With these objects in mind, and others which will become apparent hereafter, one feature of the invention resides in a method of thread-binding book blocks composed of individual signatures each having a fold. Briefly stated, the method comprises the steps of inserting a sewing needle with a thread and, parallel thereto but spaced therefrom, a hooked needle, through the fold of a signature from one side to the other thereof. The thread is placed at this other side about the hooked needle and is then withdrawn with the hooked needle to the one side in order to form a loop The hooked needle is then displaced relative to the level of the signature by such a distance that the increments of the loop become located beneath and at the head of the hooked needle, and relative displacement of the hooked needle and signature longitudinally of the fold is effected in a first path until the loop increments have shifted laterally over the needle. Thereupon, relative movement of the signature and hooked needle is effected in a second path parallel but opposite to the first path until the loop imcrements are located beneath and behind the needle tip and are in part trained about the hooked needle. Now the hooked needle is returned to its initial position and the preceding steps are repeated with reference to another signature which is placed onto the previous signature.

The novel apparatus, also briefly stated, comprises supplying means for supplying signatures to be bound and a needle plate having at least one sewing needle and at least one hooked needle laterally spaced therefrom. A pair of arms are provided laterally of and mounting the needle plate for movement up and down to and from a binding position in which the needles are inserted through the fold of the signature. Mounting means mounts the needle plate in the arms for movement laterally of the binding position in one direction, and operating means is provided for effecting such lateral movement in said one direction when the needle plate is out of the binding position and for restoring the needle plate to its initial position in an opposite direction subsequent to supplying of the next-following signature by the supplying means.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of the specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus according to the present invention as seen in direction of the arrow I of FIG. 2;

FIG. 1A is a top plan view of a portion of FIG. I;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a portion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the apparatus as seen in direction of the arrow II of FIG. 11;

FIG. 3a and 311a show one operational step of a stitching sequence in a diagrammatic end-elevational and side-elevational view, respectively;

FIG. 3b and 3bb show another step of such a sequence;

FIG. 3c and 3cc show a further step of such a sequence;

FIG. 3d and 3dd also show a step of such a sequence;

FIG. 32 and 3ee show a final step of such a sequence; and

FIG. 4 shows in a fragmentary detail view, on an enlarged scale, an embodiment of a hooked needle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing firstly the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the operation of a sequence of which is illustrated in FIG. 3, it will be seen that the apparatus has a driven shaft 1 on which there are mounted two cams 2 and 3 each of which have at their respective outer sides a cam track 4 and 5. Two arms 6 and 7 are mounted on the shaft 1 and each is connected with a guide 8 and 9, respectively, through which the shaft 1 extends.

The arm 6 has a projection 10 and the arm 7 a projection 11, and rollers 12 and 13 are tumably joumalled on these projections 10 and 11, respectively.

FIGS. 1 and 2 clearly show that the rollers 12 and 13 cooperate with the cam tracks 4 and 5, respectively, so that they are cam followers and, as a result of this cooperation, the arms 6 and 7 are moved axially and simultaneously together up and down in accordance with the stitching rythm of the apparatus.

At its free end the arm 6 carries a journal 14, and a similar journal is provided at the free end of the arm 7. The mount 14 and 15 journal a needle plate 16. A plate 17 is provided in the journal 14, having a guide slot 18 (see also FIG. 1A) and a block 19 with a cylindrical bore 20. A block 21 of the journal 15 has a cylindrical bore 22 which is coaxial with the bore 20.

The needle plate 16 is provided at its lateral sides with stub shafts 23 and 24 which are received in the bores and 22, respectively, in such a manner that the plate 16 can be shifted laterally, that is in the axial direction of the shafts 23 and 24. One of the two positions to which it can be shifted laterally is shown in full lines in FIG. 1; this is the stitching or binding position, that is the position in which the needles of the needle plate are ready to be inserted through the fold of a signature. The other position is shown in FIG. 1 in broken lines. Furthermore, the full-line position in FIG. 1 is the one in which the needle plate is also located in its upper end position, and the lower end position of the needle plate is also shown in FIG. 1 in broken lines.

The stub shaft 23 is provided with a ring 25 which contacts the block 19 in order to limit the lateral displacement of the needle plate 16. A pin 26 is fixed with the stub shaft 23 and intermediate the pin 26 and the block 19 there is provided a helical spring 27 which surounds the stub shaft 23 and tends to expand axially to displace the needle plate 16 to the position shown in FIG. 1 in full lines. Turning of the needle plate 16 about the longitudinal axis of the stub shafts 23 and 24 is provided by the pin 26 whose free end extends into the guide slot 18 in which it can move longitudinally.

The drawing also shows that an additional cam track 28 is provided at the inner side of the cam 3 (see also FIG. 1B), and that a tubular member 30 is joumalled for turning movement about a stationary shaft 29, being provided with two arms 31 and 32. The arm 32 engages behind a member 34 which is secured to the stub shaft 24 and the arm 31 has joumalled thereon for rotation about its axis a cam follower roller 33 which is in engagement with the cam track 28, under the urging of the spring 27. Sewing needles 36 and straight hooked needles are mounted on the needle plate 16 in a manner and for a purpose which are well known to those skilled in the art, and the hooks of the hooked needles 35 are oriented in the stitching direction which is indicated by the arrow H. A table 37 with a stitched book block 38 is illustrated in broken lines in FIGS. 1 and 2 for orientation.

In operation of the apparatus, and after the signature 39 of the block 38 has been stitched or bound, the hooked needle 35 has withdrawn a thread loop 40 from the interior of the signature 39, as shown in FIGS. 30 and 3aa. At this time needle plate 16 is moved from the lowermost position (shown in broken lines in FIG. 1) to the uppermost full line position of FIG. 1. At the same time the non-illustrated swingable saddle (which, in accordance with conventional practice well known to those skilled in the art, applies successive signatures onto the existing book block) is pivoted in outward direction so that it does not exert any pressure upon the book block 38. As a result of this, that is as a result of the relaxation of the pressure by the swingable saddle, the book block tends to expand slightly in the direction opposite the stitching direction H so that the laststitched or bound signature is shifted thereby in a direction opposite the direction H. This means that there is a relative displacement between the needle 35 and the last stitched signature 39.

When the needle plate 16 is in its upper end position it is displaced towards the right with reference to the stitching direction H, by cooperation of the cam track 28 with the follower 33 via the arms 31 and 32 and a member 34. This results in the relative displacement, the end position of which is shown in FIGS. 3b and 3bb. When this position is reached, the thread loop 40 will be placed above the needle tip about the shaft of the hooked needle 35. When thereupon the swingable saddle supplies the next-following signature 41 on top of the signature 39, then the signatures 41 and 39 together with the book block 38 are urged by the pressure exerted by the saddle in the direction of the arrow H, until the fold of the signature 41 is located precisely on a line constituting an extension of the needles 35 and 36. Thereupon the needle plate 16 is moved to the end position shown in FIG. 1 in full lines, to assume the position relative to the signatures which is shown in FIGS. 3c and 300. In this position the loop 40 is placed completely about the shaft of the hooked needle 45.

Now the needle plate 16 is lowered to the lower end position of FIG. 1, and the needles 35 and 36 are pushed through the fold into the signature 41 which is now to be stitched or bound. In so doing the loop 40 is pushed along the shaft of the hooked needle 35 away from the tip, that is in upward direction. In the inserted position of the hooked needle 35 another thread loop 42 is inserted at the inner side of the signature into the opening of the hook needle 35 and is subsequently withdrawn out of the signature 41 when the hooked needle is withdrawn during movement of the needle plate 16 into the upper full-line position of FIG. 1. Dur ing this movement the loop 40 slides off the hooked needle 35 which now draws the new thread loop 42 through the loop 40.

Next, the non-illustrated saddle is pivoted or swung out again to receive another signature and the operation is then repeated.

FIG. 4 shows a hooked needle 43 which is currently order to be independent of the relative movement in the direction of the arrow II which occurs between the last signature and the hooked needle when the saddle is swung outwardly and the book plate 38 is relieved of the pressure exerted by the saddle. The needle 43 shown in FIG. 4 has a hook and a mouth 45, with the tip 46 being located on an extension of the hook 44 but laterally of the longitudinal axis l! of the needle. The needle is further provided with two recesses 4-9 which are symmetrically formed in the shaft 418 and extend away from the mouth 45, only one of these recesses 49 being visible in FIG. 4-.

With such a needle, wherein the tip 46 is located on an extension of the hook 44 but laterally offset from the longitudinal axis of the needle, a lateral displacement after drawing-out of the thread loop (see FIGS. 3b and 3bb) does not require a displacement of the laststitched signature in the direction counter to the arrow H in order to place the loop about the shaft 4% of the needle. The lateral displacement by itself is sufficient to assure that-when the next-following signature is pressed against the book block and the block 38 is therefore shifted under such pressure--the thread loop will become trained about the shaft 88 of the hooked needle 43 as shown in FIGS. 3c, 3500, 3d, 311d, 3e and 3ee. This is therefore a further simplification.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions dif fering from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in the thread-stitching of book blocks, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

l. A method of thread-binding book blocks comprised of individual signatures each having a fold, comprising the steps of inserting a sewing needle with a thread and, parallel thereto but spaced therefrom a hooked needle, through a fold of a signature from one side to the other thereof; placing the thread at said other side about said hooked needle and withdrawing it with the same to said one side to form a loop; displacing said hooked needle in a first path relative to the level of said signature by such a distance that the increments of said loop become located beneath and ahead of the tip of said hooked needle; effecting relative displacement of said hooked needle and signature longitudinally of said fold in a second path until said loop increments are located laterally of said needle tip; effecting relative movement of said signature and hooked needle in a third path parallel and opposite to said second path until said loop increments are located beneath and behind said tip and are in part trained about said hooked needle; returning said hooked neelde in a fourth path to its initial position; and repeating the preceding steps with reference to another signature.

2. A method as defined in claim ll, wherein the fourth step is carried out simultaneously with the third step.

3. A method as defined in claim ll, wherein the fourth step is carried out after the third step.

4. A method as defined in claim I, wherein the sixth step is carried out simultaneously with the fifth step.

5. A method as defined in claim ll, wherein the sixth step is carried out after the fifth step.

6. In a thread-binding apparatus for book blocks, a combination comprising supplying means for supplying signatures to be bound; a needle plate having at least one sewing needle and at least one hooked needle laterally spaced therefrom; a pair of arms laterally of and mounting said needle plate for movement up and down to and from a binding position in which said needles are inserted through the fold of a signature; mounting means mounting said needle plate in said arms for movement laterally of said binding position one direction; and operating means for effecting such lateral movement in said one direction when said needle plate is out of said binding position and for restoring said needle plate to its initial position in an opposite direction subsequent to supplying of the next-following signature by said supplying means.

7. A combination as defined in claim 6, said hooked neeld being straight and having a hook portion and a needle tip which is laterally offset from the longitudinal axis of said needle and in line with said hooked portion. l =l= 

1. A method of thread-binding book blocks comprised of individual signatures each having a fold, comprising the steps of inserting a sewing needle with a thread and, parallel thereto but spaced therefrom a hooked needle, through a fold of a signature from one side to the other thereof; placing the thread at said other side about said hooked needle and withdrawing it with the same to said one side to form a loop; displacing said hooked needle in a first path relative to the level of said signature by such a distance that the increments of said loop become located beneath and ahead of the tip of said hooked needle; effecting relative displacement of said hooked needle and signature longitudinally of said fold in a second path until said loop increments are located laterally of said needle tip; effecting relative movement of said signature and hooked needle in a third path parallel and opposite to said second path until said loop increments are located beneath and behind said tip and are in part trained about said hooked needle; returning said hooked neelde in a fourth path to its initial position; and repeating the preceding steps with reference to another signature.
 2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the fourth step is carried out simultaneously with the third step.
 3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the fourth step is carried out after the third step.
 4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the sixth step is carried out simultaneously with the fifth step.
 5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the sixth step is carried out after the fifth step.
 6. In a thread-binding apparatus for book blocks, a combination comprising supplying means for supplying signatures to be bound; a needle plate having at least one sewing needle and at least one hooked needle laterally spaced therefrom; a pair of arms laterally of and mounting said needle plate for movement up and down to and from a binding position in which said needles are inserted through the fold of a signature; mounting means mounting said needle plate in said arms for movement laterally of said binding position one direction; and operating means for effecting such lateral movement in said one direction when said needle plate is out of said binding position and for restoring said needle plate to its initial position in an opposite direction subsequent to supplying of the next-following signature by said supplying means.
 7. A combination as defined in claim 6, said hooked neeld being straight and having a hook portion and a needle tip which is laterally offset from the longitudinal axis of said needle and in line with said hooked portion. 